Black
by SparkELee
Summary: My version of what happens next week... MERDER Obviously...
1. Chapter 1

Black

"Against All Odds" is still being written, but I was inspired to crank this out after tonight's episode… What I see happening next week.

"The girl, the one holding the bomb, who is she?" Derek asked Burke and Cristina as they quietly entered the room.

The two of them exchanged looks. Cristina cleared her throat. "She was a paramedic." She began softly. "She was?" Derek asked, a confused expression contorting his face.

"Now, um, now she's…. She's Meredith." Cristina finished, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stopped moving. His blood ran cold, his entire body froze. He tried to swallow but he had nothing to swallow. He drew in a sharp breath finally. "What happened?" He questioned softly, as he slowly moved his hand back towards Bailey's husband.

"The paramedic-Hannah, was losing control of herself, she was threatening to pull her hand out. And as far as we can gather, Meredith worked her hand into James and took hold of the ammunition just as Hannah let go." Burke replied.

Derek was quiet for several long moments. "Cristina, please wait outside." Derek commanded quietly. For once, she listened and backed out of the room. "Preston." He said. "Derek." Burke replied. "Listen to me very closely. The woman that I care about more than life itself is two rooms down, alone, with her hand inside a man, trying to save his life. If she moves a fraction of an inch in the wrong direction, she could die. And I can't do anything about that because I have a man on this table who will die if I don't finish this, not to mention his wife is about to give birth. You want us to be close? You're going to have to help me out." Derek finished.

"Derek, it's too risky to hand a surgery like this over in the middle of the procedure." Burke said. "I'm not suggesting that. What I'm suggesting is that you send Cristina over to OR 4 and you are going to call that OR. Have Cristina connect a handsfree headset to the phone in 4 and you connect one to the phone in here" Derek responded calmly. "Derek, you're in the middle of an operation-" Burke started. "What would you do if it were you standing here and Cristina in that room with that bomb?" Derek questioned. "Your wife-" He tried again. "This has nothing to do with her. This is about the woman I love sacrificing her life fore a patient before I tell her how I feel. Do this for me. Do it because you would do it for Cristina." He said, his eyes meeting Burke's over the table.

Burke was silent and unmoving for several seconds before he turned and went to the door. He motioned for the man in charge of the squad to come to him. "Look, if I send her down there to 4 with you, will you let her answer the phone when I call and put it to Meredith's ear? This surgeon in here needs to speak with her." Burke told him as he gestured first to Cristina, then to Derek.

The man hedged. "Are you married? Burke asked. The man nodded. "OK, well, that ma in there is in love with the woman holding the bomb. Her talking to the man she loves on the phone, for what could be the last time, isn't going to detonate that bomb. You and I know that. All that is required of her is that she not move. She doesn't have to move to talk on the phone." Burke finished. The man was silent, then nodded finally.

He nodded to Cristina, who came to him instantly. "I need you to go over to 4 and wait for me to call. Once I do, position the phone so Meredith can hold it between her shoulder and head, and get out." He instructed. Wordlessly Cristina walked down the hall to 4 with the bomb squad in toe.

Quietly she entered the room. Meredith sat on a swivel bar stool, her right hand inside the patient, her left, squeezing the bag keeping him alive. She looked up at her friend. Before she could even question why Cristina was there and why the bomb squad was at the door, the phone rang. Cristina picked it up, connected a handsfree set to it and walked it over to Meredith. "It's for you." She said quietly, positioning the piece on her head.

"Hello?" She asked quietly, cautiously. "Hi." _Him. _"Has everyone cleared the room over there?" He asked. "Yes." She replied softly. "Ok Mere, it's just you and me. You have to listen to me now Ok? You can't take off that headset without moving your hands, so just listen, OK?" He told her. "OK." She said, sighing softly. There was a long silence.

"My entire body went numb when I found out you were over there. My entire life flashed before my eyes and it scared me because you weren't in it. You weren't in it because I lost you. And that scared the Hell out of me. More than anything in this entire world has scared me. What you're doing is incredible. You are not only saving a man's life, you're saving all our lives by doing what you are. You saved that girl… You are an incredible woman." He told her. "Derek, please don't. You're making me cry and I can't move or do anything to stop them." She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

He swallowed, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill over. "I'm not trying to hurt you Meredith. I'm trying to explain things to you." He said. "What, what could you possibly have to explain that you haven't already forced down my throat?" She asked, pain evident in her voice.

"I was a coward. I took the easy way out. Staying with her meant that I didn't have to start all over again. It meant that I didn't have to explain to everyone I know that I'm dating an intern who's 7 years younger than me. It meant that I didn't have to hide you from every bigwig in the hospital." He explained. She sniffled and whispered "Sounds like you gained a lot with your decision." He sighed softly. "I thought so too, but, actually I didn't gain a thing except a wife who overcompensates for every little action. In the end, I actually lost." He went on.

"What exactly did you lose?" She questioned, closing her eyes to the situation and closing her heart to the pain. "You. I lost you. And I knew that when I made my choice, but at the time, I didn't realize what you were, what you are." He replied.

"And what am I Derek?" She asked, bracing herself for whatever heart wrenching pain he was about to bring forth. "The woman I love. The woman I'm made to grow old with. The love of my life. My soul's recognition of it's counterpoint." He finished.

She smiled a little. "I always did love that line." She said softly. "I can hear you smiling." He told her. "It's hard no to when you're being quoted to from "Wedding Crashers". Although, I'll admit, it's a pretty good way of describing it." She replied with a sigh.

"I know it's cheesy and from a dumb movie, but it fits." He said. "Yeah, it does, but what does this all mean? Derek, I'm sitting in here holding a bomb and you're operating on Bailey's husband." She said. "It means that I need you in my life. I knew that earlier, but I needed to recognize it. And I do now." He responded. "And Addison?" She asked.

"I don't know, I guess I'll have to figure it out." He said after a moment. "No Derek, that's not good enough. You can't sit here and be the last person I talk to and not have a more pat answer than that. I won't accept that. Her or me. Plain and simple. But this time, I'm not sitting in a bar drowning my pain in tequila. This time I'm sitting over here in an OR holding hundreds of lives in my hands, including yours and Bailey's husbands, not to even mention my own. So you're going to have to do a little better than 'I don't know' Derek. You're just going to have to." She finished.

He sighed. "I-" He started just as he heard the bomb squad on her end of the phone. "Derek, they're…. They're going to remove the ammunition." She said, fear now taking over her voice. His heart quickened, his pulse was racing. "Meredith? Meredith! I love you. I choose you! Meredith?" He called into the set. He heard muffled noises. "Oh God…" He whispered to himself. _Did she hear me!_

I hope you liked it!


	2. Chapter 2

Black

Chapter 2

Derek felt the room go cold. _Concentrate. You owe this man your full attention. He's not just some patient. He has a wife and a child on the way. He deserves to see them. To live to see his son graduate. Just 5 more minutes and you're finished. _Derek took a deep steadying breath and began the close. 5 minutes later he was done. He called to Cristina as he wheeled Bailey's husband out of the OR. "Cristina, take him downstairs immediately. Have someone stationed at every floor from here to the lobby in case something happens. Get him into recovery promptly. Then alert Addison, tell her that he's going to make it." He instructed. "You're- You're not going down with me?" She asked, her eyes wide. "I can't." He said simply. Her mouth dropped open. "She needs me. Now more than ever. I left her once. I'm not doing it again. Tell Addison I'm staying up here." He called back to her as he headed down to 4. Wordlessly Cristina wheeled the severely injured man down the hall to the elevators.

"No one else comes up or down so for his sake, I hope you don't have and problems cause I'm shutting these down the second I get the OK that you're in the lobby." Dylan, the head of the bomb squad told her. Cristina nodded and took him downstairs. For the first time in her life, she prayed to God that nothing would happen between the 7th floor and the lobby. She reached the lobby and Addison was there to meet her, along with George and Izzie. "Take him to recovery immediately." Addison instructed as she pulled Cristina aside. "Dr. Shepard said that Bailey's husband is going to be fine." Cristina dutifully reported. "Good. That's fantastic… But where's Derek?" She asked.

"He's um, he's still upstairs." She told Addison. The older woman's eyes went wide. "Why? What? I'm going up." She said. Cristina grabbed her arm. "They shut down the elevators as soon as I stepped off." Cristina explained. "Why would he stay up there?" Addison asked, more to herself than to Cristina. Cristina wrung her hands nervously, trying to avoid eye contact with Addison. Her actions didn't go unnoticed.

"Yang, what do you know?" Addison demanded, approaching her. Cristina's eyes went wide. "Um, well, he's up there, cause….. Meredith is…" She trailed off, avoiding eye contact. "Why would Meredith be up there still!" Addison questioned, her eyes burning into Cristina. Cristina winced. "Cause the girl holding the bomb couldn't hold it together so Meredith took her place." Cristina finished.

Everything started making sense to Addison. Of course he wouldn't leave her up there alone. Not the woman he loves. Not the woman he wanted to be with if they were all going to die. She slowly sunk down to the floor, her hands buried in her hair. In a time when loved ones should be together, she was alone. She was alone because her loved one was with **_his_ **loved one. She choked back a sob. All the hard work, all the effort they'd put into making this work was all thrown away when he was forced to choose between coming down and staying up.

Derek hurried down the corridor to OR 4. He stopped just short of the door. He took a deep breath and looked through the window. There she was. Standing in the middle of it all. The bomb squad all around her. Burke and Dylan deep in conversation as to how to remove it. Without a second thought, he pushed through the door. "What are we doing?" He asked as he stripped his dirtied apron and glove off and crossed his arms in front of him. "That's what we're trying to determine at the moment. Dylan here thinks we ought to sacrifice the patient's life and essentially gut the man." Burke said. Derek raised his eyebrows. "Not an option." He said.

"How long would this man have if she pulled her hand and the artillery out?" Dylan asked. "Are you insane!" Derek asked incredulously. The entire room was silent. "You don't actually believe that would work do you?" He demanded. "A matter of minutes. If we all don't explode when she pulls it out." Burke said, answering their question. Derek turned to him. "You are crazy. I won't let you do it." He told them, walking around to stand next to her.

"Got any other suggestions?" Dylan retorted. "Let me operate. I'll take the risk. Someone has to. And she's already in enough danger. I won't let you ask her to do that." He went on. They all looked at each other. "What are you going to do?" Burke hissed. "I'll figure it out. Get everyone out of here. Let me think." Derek retorted. They all reluctantly cleared the room. He circled the table til he was behind her. "Are you OK?" He asked softly, placing a hand on her back. She nodded. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her head. "I'm not going to let you die." He told her. He felt her swallow, hard. "It will be OK." He reassured her. "I- I heard you on the phone." She told him. Derek stilled. "Did you really pick me?" She asked quietly. "I did, yes." He replied. "Why?" She implored.

He was silent for a long moment. "Because the very thought of not ever being able to see your face again, even in the simplest terms, was too much to bear. And after going through all this, I just, I don't think I could really live with myself if I walked away from a second chance." He finished. She barely nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything.

He circled the table a few more times. "Meredith, where exactly is the object sitting?" He asked. "Um, just outside the rib cage. Almost on his side." She replied.

When he heard that he circled behind her again and dropped to his knees to the left of her. He gently placed his hand along the man's side, along his rib cage. "Is that it?" He asked. "Yep." She whispered. "Meredith, do you trust me?" He questioned, looking into her eyes. She nodded. "I promise I won't hurt you." He called the others back into the room. "I can remove it surgically." He started. They waited. "The piece is sitting just inside his rib cage. But, it's going to require Meredith moving the piece about 3 inches south." Derek finished. They all exchanged glances. "I'll do it." She said softly. They all nodded.

"Get her every piece of preventative clothing that you can find." Derek instructed them. "It won't-" One of the crew started. "Get it!" Dylan snapped at the man. He nodded and went off to get the clothing. "How are you going to do this?" Dylan asked. "I'm going to make a 6 inch by 6 inch incision in his left side, just underneath his rib cage. That will create pathway for you to get the bomb. Once you feel her hand, you take it and take it quickly. He's going to be bleeding out from the time she starts the move until you take it. Preston, if you're willing, that's where you come in. As soon as she starts the move, you're going to need to make the hole where she stuck her hand in bigger, and stop the bleeding. But only if you're willing. I won't put you at risk if you're not comfortable." Derek told him. Burke paused for a moment. "I'll do it." He replied softly. "Good. Now, where is her protective clothing?" Derek asked. The young man came forward with the protective outerwear and strapped it on her. Derek came up next to ear.

"I promise that when this is all over, I'm going to make this whole situation right. I will not lose you." He whispered and pressed a kiss to her ear. She nodded.

_Do not kill the woman you love. If you do, you will never be able to live with yourself._

Derek and Burke quickly prepped the patient and Meredith for surgery. Within minutes, they were starting. "This whole ordeal shouldn't take anymore than 10 minutes, tops. So be ready." Derek instructed as he knelt down and took his place on the right side of Meredith and Burke took his place on the left.

Derek swallowed and looked up into her eyes. She nodded to him, encouraging him. He nodded back and began.

Within seconds, the incision was made. Burke was busy widening the hole Meredith's hand was occupying. 10 minutes later, The ammunition had a clear path to slide down. Derek maneuvered a scope camera up into the opening and showed the men the bomb. "That's the bomb. That's opening. Save her life." He instructed them. The men took their place directly where Derek had been as he moved away. He snatched the gloves off and stood behind Meredith. She closed her eyes and he took the breathing bottle out of her left hand. "Let me. Hold my other hand with yours. Just listen to my voice." He told her as Burke stood ready to stop the bleeding when she moved her hand.

He felt her trembling beneath his touch. "I want you to just listen to me . You need to hold onto it until you feel them take it away. Do you understand?" He asked. She nodded. Dylan had a surgical glove on and was ready a the opening. Derek nodded and Dylan's hand slowly entered the man's body, up through his rib cage. Seconds later, he was grasping the bomb in his hand. Dylan nodded to Derek. "Meredith, on the count of 3, I want you to let go. 1…….2……..3!"


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you for all the feedback! I'm not going to make this one a really long story. Maybe 5 chapters or less, with an epilogue wrap up.

Black

Chapter 3

"3!" Derek's hand was on her right arm. He felt her let go of the ammunition. As soon as he did, he yanked her arm out and pulled her to the ground, covering her body with his own. The bomb squad swiftly removed the artillery from the patient, placed it in a large metal container they'd set up and left the room with it. Burke picked himself up off the ground just as Derek and Meredith were standing up. "Dr. Shepard, that was impressive." Dylan said, offering his hand. "Thank you." He said quietly, shaking the man's hand, though his eyes were trained on Meredith. Dylan excused himself and followed his team out.

"Meredith?" He asked, trying to get her attention. Her eyes wouldn't focus. "Post traumatic shock." Burke said, coming up behind him. Derek nodded in agreement. "I'm going to take her home. I'll go out one of the rear exits." Derek said after several seconds. "Your wife?" Burke asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Tell her-" Derek started. "No, Derek, YOU tell her. I'm not going to be your messenger. You might be able to get away with that with Cristina, but not me. You have something to say to her, you say it." Burke told him, his voice deadly calm. Derek held his colleague's gaze for a second before lowering his head in defeat. Burke stood there for a minute more, before sighing and walking around Derek.

_I'm just going to have to tell her._ Derek pulled out his phone and dialed Addi's number up. "Oh my God Derek! Are you all right?" Addison's voice filled the phone within seconds. "I'm fine. Really." He reassured. "Why didn't you come down after Tucker's surgery?" She demanded. "I couldn't leave up here alone Addison. That's just inhumane." He told her. "So you're on your way down now then." She said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "No actually. Meredith's going through post traumatic shock up here. I'm going to take her home." He told her.

Anger flared up in his red headed wife. "Derek, that's what her roommates are for. Let them take her home and take care of her. They aren't helpless, they're doctors for Crist sake!" She snapped angrily. "Not now Addison. We'll discuss this later." He finished before hanging up on her and returning to Meredith. She was sitting in a chair, her elbows resting on her knees, her head in her hands, rocking slightly. "C'mon Mere. I'm taking you home." He whispered as he pulled her to her feet. She came up willingly and he guided her to the back stair well.

Addison cursed loudly as she slammed her phone shut. Tears threatened to spill over once again. She quickly ducked into the nearest bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. "Don't cry Addison. Show these people you're above this." She whispered to herself as she dried her face. After straightening her clothing, she exited the bathroom to dismiss her interns for the day.

15 minutes later he'd secured her in the car and was on the way to her house. She stared blankly out the window the entire ride. Silence filled the vehicle. He got to her house in record time. He pulled up and went around to her side of the vehicle and gently guided her out of the car and up to the house. Just as he was about to ring the bell, the door swung open. George and Izzie stood on the other side. "We'll take it from here." George stated, crossing his arms in front of him. "I-" Derek started. "Go back to your wife." Izzie spat as Geoge stepped forward and took Meredith into his arms. Derek looked first at Izzie, then at George. Finally his eyes rested on Meredith. "I'm so sorry." He muttered before turning and heading back to his car.

George and Izzie got her upstairs and into bed. Not 10 minutes after that, the phone rang. It was Cristina. "How are they?" She asked, referring to Derek and Meredith. "She's sleeping, but we got rid of him at the door." George said proudly. "What! You didn't!" She exclaimed. George winced and swallowed. All of a sudden he felt like he'd done something terribly wrong. "Ummm, why?" He asked tentatively. Cristina explained what had gone on in the ER before the removal of her hand. George went white. "George, what's wrong?" Izzie questioned as she walked into the room. He handed her the phone. Cristina told her. "Oh God……" She murmured. "She's going to be soooo mad." George responded. As if on cue, they heard something upstairs. "Derek?" Her voice called out. They looked at each other. "You tell her, you're the one who wouldn't let him come in." Izzie suggested. "No, you do it, you're the one who told him to go back to his wife." George countered. "No need for you to tell me. I'm not deaf." Meredith said from the doorway. "Meredith-" Izzie began. Meredith held up her hand. "Save it. There is nothing that you two can say to excuse your behavior. You didn't know what happened, you didn't even ask. You just acted. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to find him before he actually follows your advice." She snapped, directing the last part at Izzie before turning on her heel and storming out of the house.

2 chapters left! This was kind of a filler. The last two will be posted before tomorrow's episode so be on the lookout!


	4. Chapter 4

OK so here goes guys!

Black

Chapter 3

Derek got into his car and drove. He didn't want to go home, _she'd_be there. "I can't go back to her after all this. If I go back now, I won't leave." He told himself Somewhere in his drive, it had began to rain. "Typical." He muttered as he made a left turn as he entered downtown Seattle. He found himself in front of a rather intimidating looking building. A building Derek Shepard was all too familiar with. "The irony of it all." He whispered to himself as he parked and stared at it. Everything ended and began here. "Maybe it's a sign." He said aloud, musing over the possibility.

Meredith shrugged into her coat as she headed out the door. "I have to find him." She murmured, getting in her car and starting off. Her first stop was obvious. She had to do a drive by. Just to make sure he didn't actually follow Izzie's ill advice. All she saw was Addison's car parked outside. The expulsion of the breath she was holding was a relief. "Thank God he's smarter than that." She said as she took off to the next location. She dialed his number as she drove. "Please pick up…" She pleaded with his phone. No luck. Straight to voicemail.

She waited for the tone then began speaking. "Umm, hi Der. It's me… I'm sorry for Izzie and George, they shouldn't have done that. I'm awake and looking for you. Call me." She finished before clicking the phone shut.

She buzzed by Joe's, he wasn't there either. Next was the park, then the hospital, thinking maybe he'd gone back, but no. So finally, she went to the last place. The ferry boats. "He has to be here." She convinced herself as the rain started to fall. But, after checking all the parking lots, he was nowhere to be found. She got out of the car and headed down to the dock where they always sat. Maybe he might be here. Maybe she missed him. She was alone at the dock though. Nobody in sight. Meredith slumped onto _their_ bench and all of a sudden, the day's events washed over her like a tidal wave. Almost being blown to bits, having the man she loves tell her that he was choosing her, and now she couldn't find him. Tears began to seep out of her eyes. She couldn't help it. It was all just too much.

Addison watched Meredith's vehicle cruise by the house. "Derek's not here." She whispered softly. "But I think I know where he is." She went on. She grabbed her keys and purse and headed to her car and ultimately to the one place she didn't want to go.

After spending 10 minutes in the car, debating whether he should go in or not, Derek exited the car and made his way into the formidable looking building and headed up to the 15th floor. "Is Daniel Jaredy in?" He asked the receptionist at the front desk. She nodded. "Who shall I say is asking?" She questioned, picking up the phone. "Derek Shepard." She nodded and he took a seat. 10 minutes later the receptionist called over to him. "Mr. Jaredy will see you." She said and he entered the man's gigantic office.

"Well look who it is! Dr. One More Chance!" Daniel exclaimed, coming out from behind his desk. Derek smiled ruefully. "You know, if you weren't more than just my lawyer, I'd be offended by that statement." Derek told him, shaking his old friend's hand. Daniel rolled his eyes and gestured to a chair. "What's up?" Daniel questioned, propping his feet up on the desk. Derek shifted. "I was wondering, do you still have a copy of mine and Addison's divorce papers here?" He asked. His friend raised an eyebrow. "Derek, you know I do. Why? Another ceremonial burning?" Daniel asked, referring to the last set of divorce papers that Addison and Derek had burned when they decided to give it one more try. "No, I'm actually going to put pen to paper this time." Derek replied, waiting for his friend's response.

Daniel sat up in his chair. "What! Why? What about Addison!" He exclaimed. "Do you believe in being happy Dan?" Derek asked. His friend sat back for a moment. "On a professional level, well, I'm a divorce lawyer, so I make a living off of unhappy people. Personally, happiness is all there is man. If you are lucky enough to find it, I say you reach out and grab it." Dan finished. Derek smiled. "Exactly." Derek agreed. "Give me a second and I'll get the papers for you." Dan said

10 minutes later, Dan re-entered the room. "I have a surprise for you." Dan said. But judging from the look on his friend's face, whatever this surprise was, couldn't be good for Derek. Not 5 seconds later, Addison followed him into the room. "I thought you might be here." She said, meeting his gaze. He exhaled. "It's probably better that you're here. We can sign and get this over with." He said, turning back to face the desk. "Is this about today? Your emotions were running a little high is all. Once you come down, you'll feel differently." She assured him. "Damnit Addison, it's not just today. Today was a wake up call. This has been ongoing. We have been trying, very very hard, to make this work. But it's not. My heart's just not it. It can't take it. My heart wants her. Deal with that. Your body wanted Mark, remember? I forgave you for that." He pointed out.

"If you forgave me, why are you here, asking for a divorce?" She challenged. "Because I've stopped loving you. I still loved you, even when I left and came here. But then I met someone who showed me that I could love even more. And I want to show her that I can. So let this go. Sign." He said, taking the papers from Dan, who'd retreated to the far corner of the room to sit in a chair facing away from the quarreling Shepards.

He laid the papers on the desk and without any hesitation, flipped through and signed all the necessary pages. She watched him, the tears getting more intense with each signature. He laid the pen down. "I won't sign." She choked out quietly. "Doesn't matter. I did. You have 90 days, then the divorce goes through whether you sign or not." He said.

He saw a look come over her face. He knew that look. That was pissed off Addison coming out now. Just as she reached for the papers, he snatched them. "Dan, please make a copy of these before she decides to rip them to shreds." He said and Dan nodded, returning a minute later, 3 copies in hand. "One for me, one for Derek, and one for you, Addison." He said, handing them out. Addison did just as predicted and ripped hers to shreds. "I won't sign." She said. "Don't. That's fine. 3 months and it'll be over." He told her as he tucked his copy into his jacket pocket and stood. "Call me if she signs. Right now, I have a woman to find." He told Dan as he exited the room. "Oh, and you may want to have security escort her out before she starts destroying your office." Derek went on as he shut the door behind him.

ONE MORE LEFT!


	5. Chapter 5

Final Chapter!

Black

Chapter 5

It was pouring by the time he got to his car. Not that he cared. All he wanted to do was find _her_. His phone was blinking at him. He dialed up his voicemail and her voice filled the air. "She's looking for me…" He whispered to himself, wonder and awe filling his voice, a smile playing across his lips…

He dialed her number but she didn't answer. He started his drive back towards… her. He passed her house, her car was gone. He stopped by the hospital and Joe's, but to no avail. It was really coming down by now, visibility was terrible. He resisted the urge to pick up speed. "Don't die before you tell her." He told himself, forcing his foot to release the gas.

"Where are you Mere?" He asked, wracking his brain for a possible location. Then it hit him. "Why would she go there?" He asked himself. "Because I would go there." He answered almost immediately. He hung a left and headed to the only place left. "Please be here. Please." He prayed softly.

Meredith couldn't tell whether the drops of water on her face were tears or the rain. Not that it mattered. "I guess that's it. I guess it's over." She cried softly to herself.

"You're right, it is over." A voice she'd know anywhere said in her ear. Before she could react, a packet of papers were thrust in front of her face. She tried to read the words through her bloodshot eyes. "Writ of Divorce…" She breathed as she read the titling on the page. "I hereby have read and understand the terms of this document…. Derek A. Shepard…?" She exclaimed. She turned to find him standing behind her. He was soaked to the bone, shivering just as badly as she was. "Why?" She asked, gesturing with the papers.

"Certain things only come around every great once in awhile. Sometimes, those things are great. Other times, they aren't. And sometimes, even though we don't expect it, great things come out of those terrible things. Code Blacks almost NEVER happen… And it took that Code Black for me to realize that women like you, almost never happen… And I failed to see that once, maybe I ignored it, maybe I didn't want to see it, but I had no choice this time. When I chose to stay up there with you, to me, it wasn't really even a choice. It was automatic. I knew then that I'd made a mistake. Because if I was truly meant to be with my wife, then I would have gone downstairs when Cristina took Tucker down. But I couldn't leave you. It never even crossed my mind." He told her, coming around the bench to wrap his long coat around her and to pull her closer. "So… What does this mean?" She asked, tentatively placing her hands on his waist. He in turn, reached down and wrapped her arms around in him. "It means that I'm in love with you. In more than a hold a radio over my head, let you eat the last piece of cheesecake way. In a way that makes me want to kiss you in the morning before you brush your teeth, let you crawl all over me in a horror movie, have 29 kids with you if that's what you want, grow old and wear matching bright red jogging suits kind of way, if that's ok with you." He finished. She threw her head back and laughed. "God I miss that laugh." He whispered before placing a gentle hand on her neck and pulling her lips to his. "Be with me forever?" He asked against her lips. "Absolutely." She responded before pulling him back to her. "It's raining you know, want to go home?" He asked as he pulled away again. "Not yet. Now shut up." She commanded and pulled him back, holding him so close that even the rain couldn't come between them, in fact, nothing ever could…

EPILOGUE

They did indeed stay together forever. And although they didn't have 29 kids, they did have 3, Emily, Miranda and Derek Jr. Meredith opened her own office and Derek went on to be the Chief of Surgery. And by the way, they went with green suits instead of red….

Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
